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EU & UK Marine Legislation

To see Defra's consultation on a Marine Bill go to Defra's website

MARINET submits written evidence to Parliament's Joint Committee on the Draft Marine Bill   - MARINET has presented written evidence to the Joint Committee of The Houses of Parliament, convened in June 2008 to consider the legislative and policy proposals in the Draft Marine Bill published by the UK Government in April 2008. The evidence presented by MARINET is as follows:

1. A Statement by MARINET of the issues which the Marine Bill must address, and the policy and proposals for action which the Marine Bill must contain in order to properly address those issues, see here.
2. A Response by MARINET to the list of questions which the Joint Committee formulated and upon which they have sought advice from consultees, see here.
3. An Additional Statement by MARINET on the scientific basis for the designation of Highly Protected Marine Reserves , see here.
4. Membership of the Joint Committee of the Houses of Parliament which considered the Draft Marine Bill, see here.

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MARINET says Draft Marine Bill needs to be fundamentally changed - MARINET's Submission   We provide here the full text of the MARINET submission, dated 21st June 2008, made to the the UK Government under the public consultation procedure organised by Defra with respect to the Draft Marine Bill. The submission features our proposal for the creation of a Ministry of the Sea with its own Secretary of State at Cabinet level, and for the new Ministry to take on responsibility for all marine issues. In addition, our submission explains that unless the Bill allows for the creation of policies which will enable the new Ministry to manage our seas as a whole, and thereby adopt a comprehensive ecosystem approach to marine management, then we will have changed nothing and we will continue to repeat the mistakes of the past which are characterised by an ongoing decline in marine biodiversity and collapsing fish stocks. We believe that the Draft Marine Bill needs to be fundamentally changed from its current form.

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The EU has agreed the final text of the Marine Framework Directive which will determine the management of seas throughout the EU, including all seas under UK management and jurisdiction. By 2015 member states will be required to have developed strategies for their seas which deliver "good environmental status" which is defined in the Directive as meaning that biodiversity is maintained, all commercially exploited fish stocks are within safe biological limits both in terms of age and size, and that all elements of the marine food web are at normal abundance and diversity. These strategies required by the Directive must be in force by 2020. The Text of the Directive is reproduced here, and is expected to come into force later this year.

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MARINET have produced a Briefing for Members of Parliament on the changes required to the draft Marine Bill, April 2008. To see this go to the Marine Reserve page.

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A Marine Bill White Paper   We have submitted a detailed list of observations on the UK Government's White Paper proposals for a Marine Bill. The Government's proposed Bill covers marine planning and licensing, marine nature conservation, fisheries and a new administrative agency - the Marine Management Organisation. Our submission details the main features outlined in the Marine Bill White Paper, those features which we support, and the areas where the Bill needs to be improved in order to bring into effect real improvements in the management of the UK's seas. Foremost amongst our recommendations are the need for a protocol defining the ecosystem-based approach to marine management, the creation of a network of marine reserves covering around 30% of UK seas, new powers to place all UK fishing on a long-term sustainable basis, and the establishment of a Ministry of the Sea to provide clarity of leadership and polical responsibility for the management of the UK's seas.

MARINET Briefing Paper - The Marine Bill   A sea change in action - developing the structure for the sustainable management of UK seas.

Marine Bill   MARINET's response to DEFRA's public consultation - from Stephen Eades

Marine Bill   MARINET's response to DEFRA's public consultation - from Pat Gowen
(You may need to refer the contents to Defra's consultation mentioned above.)

Plea to protect our 'dying seabeds'   Observer 26th March 2006

Marine Bill Conference Report   This is a report of a Coastal Futures conference on the public consultation and preparation for a draft Marine Bill held in London on 25th October 2005